Lil Yachty

Atlanta native and self-proclaimed “king of the teens” Lil Yachty just turned 20 last week, but he’s already had an irreversible impact on hip-hop by inspiring a debate over whether he’s even hip-hop at all. Influenced by the potent simplicity and DIY spirit of 21st-century game-changers like Soulja Boy, Yachty has few musical things in common with rappers from the previous generation, aside from a vague vocal resemblance to Andre 3000. Yachty’s breakthrough came with the platinum-selling earworm “One Night,” and ever since then, the kid with the beaded red hair has been hard to miss, what with his new debut album, his mixtapes, and additional songs with everyone from Chance the Rapper to Macklemore. Listening to too many of Yachty’s songs at once reveals his over-reliance on certain topics and vocals’ styles (often totally slathered in Auto-Tune), but his best songs are supremely fun and joyous. Though Yachty has bigger songs in the rest of the country, his inevitable performance of his single “Minnesota” will surely set off a giddy and explosive crowd reaction on Thursday.